As is known, a printed circuit board (PCB) includes a thin plate on which electronic chips and/or other electronic components are placed. Typically, the thin plate is fabricated from an insulating board that has a plurality of conducting tracks acting as circuit connections between a plurality of pins extending from the board. The conducting tracks on the insulating board allow for the ready connection of a plurality of electronic chips and/or electrical components to the pins projecting from the insulating board to form a circuit for ready installation in a machine. It can be appreciated that printed circuit boards are used in a wide variety of sophisticated electronic equipment, such as computers, copiers, printers and the like.
When designing sophisticated electronic equipment, manufacturers often utilize commercially available, mass-marketed PCBs in order to limit the costs associated with manufacturing the equipment. In many cases, the use of commercially available, mass-marketed PCBs is not possible. As a result, the manufacturers must design and produce custom PCBs to include in their products. However, customized PCBs are usually significantly more expensive than mass-marketed boards. In addition, there are often costs involved in evaluating various custom board designs and in obtaining cost estimates for each of the design alternatives. Further, there is often a significant time lag between the ordering and the delivery of a custom PCB. Consequently, there exists a need for a system and a method for quickly and reliably producing custom PCBs. There also exists a need for a method of assembling a PCB in accordance with customized specifications in a short turnaround time period. Further, there exists a need for quick and reliable method to quote a client a price for assembling a customized PCB.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a system and method for assembling a customized printed circuit board that is simple to utilize and that reliably assembles the printed circuit board in accordance with a client's instructions.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a system and method for assembling a customized printed circuit board that requires a shorter lead time than prior systems and methods.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a system and method for assembling a customized printed circuit board that quickly and reliably quotes an estimated price for the assembled, customized printed circuit boards to a potential client.
In accordance with the present invention, a system is provided for assembling a customized printed circuit board having at least one electrical component. The system includes an input device for allowing a user to input predetermined information on the customized printed circuit board to be assembled. A central processing unit is operatively connected to the input device by a communications network, such as the internet. The central processing unit receives the predetermined information and generates assembly instructions in response to the predetermined information. A machine is operatively connected to the central processing unit for assembling the customized printed circuit board in response to the assembly instructions.
The input device includes an electronic order form for facilitating the input of the predetermined information. The electronic order form prompts the user to enter the predetermined information. For example, the electronic order form may prompt the user for billing information, a bill of materials for the customized printed circuit board and/or a graphic image of the customized printed circuit board. The predetermined information defines a customer file. The central processing unit includes a processor and a memory storing a software program. The software program is operable to instruct the processor to import the customer file from the input device and to generate an assembly file that includes assembly instructions for the machine. The assembly instructions allow the machine to select the at least one electrical component and to locate the at least one electrical component on the printed circuit board. The assembly file is then downloaded to the machine.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for assembling a customized printed circuit board having a plurality of electrical components. The system includes an input device for allowing a user to input predetermined information regarding the customized printed circuit board to be assembled. The predetermined information includes a list of the plurality of electrical components. A central processing unit is operatively connected to the input device by a communications network, such as the internet. The central processing unit receives the predetermined information and generates assembly instructions in response to the predetermined information. A carrier supports the plurality of components on the list. A machine is operatively connected to the central processing unit for assembling the customized printed circuit board from the plurality of components supported on the carrier in response to the assembly instructions.
The carrier includes a base plate and a first strip plate mounted on the base plate for supporting a first set of the plurality of components thereon. The carrier may also include a second strip plate mounted on the base plate. The second strip plate supports a second set of the plurality of components thereon. A strip of tape may be used for affixing the plurality of components to the first strip plate.
The input device includes an electronic order form for facilitating the input of the predetermined information. The electronic order form prompts the user to enter the predetermined information. The predetermined information includes billing information, a bill of materials for the customized printed circuit board, and/or a graphic image of the customized printed circuit board.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for assembling one or more electrical components on a printed circuit board. The method includes the step of receiving a customer file from a remote user. The customer file contains a listing of the one or more electrical components to be assembled on the printed circuit board. An assembly file is generated for assembling the one or more electrical components on the printed circuit board. Thereafter, the printed circuit board is assembled in accordance with the assembly file.
The step of assembling the printed circuit board includes the additional steps of placing the circuit board components on plate-type carriers and positioning the carriers in the vicinity of a circuit board assembly machine. Thereafter, the circuit board components are selected from the plate-type carriers for assembling the components on the printed circuit board. The assembly file is downloaded to the circuit board assembly machine prior to assembling the printed circuit board.
It is contemplated for the method of the present invention to include the additional step of inputting predetermined information on the customized printed circuit board to be assembled. The predetermined information defines the customer file that is transmitted to a central processing unit over a communications network, such as the internet. The predetermined information includes billing information, a bill of materials for the customized printed circuit board and/or a graphic image of the customized printed circuit board.